They say timing is everything. Something rather interesting is going to happen in the handheld device industry soon. What are the chances of 2 rival manufacturers naming 2 products in a similar manner? Coincidence.. I think not.

The products in question are, wait for it, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and the Apple iPad Mini. From the outside it seems as though Samsung is feeling no effects after losing the copyright legal battle with Apple. The fact is, in the greater scheme of things the billion dollar fine imposed on Samsung is a drop in the ocean. At the moment the iPad Mini is a rumoured product. The mechanics make sense; a smaller version of the iPad will draw users who do not have an iPad. I think what needs to be considered is that the iPad mini will also lead to more users having iOS tablets (Apple’s market share lead in the tablet space is slowly eroding).

So does this “coincidence” lead to the following:

A trademark battle between Apple and Samsung over the “Mini ” usage by both companies?

Apple selling more iPad minis than any other 7” tablet manufacturer.

Samsung taking market share away from Apple.

Nothing.

Only time will tell which of these options is the right answer. Please answer in the comments as to your own answer.

Please note: No “Mini Coopers” were harmed in the making of this blog post.